The many problems dealing with the safe transfer of patients from one structure to another are well documented. Not only is there a danger in harming the patient but recent studies have shown a substantial increase in injuries incurred by nurses, attendants and other healthcare providers in connection with transferring patients from, for example, beds, tables and wheelchairs to another support device. This is especially true in handling obese patients.
This problem exists in many areas but one area that has not received a great deal of attention is the problem of transferring non-mobile patients from a stretcher to an MRI table. There are transfer boards used to transfer patients from a stretcher to an MRI table. But still, nurses and other attendants and healthcare professionals have to pull or lift the patient from the stretcher onto the MRI table. In some cases transfer devices have been employed that comprise sheet material of a relatively low friction that is used to slide the patient from the stretcher to the MRI table. But again the patient has to be pulled and physically moved from the stretcher to the MRI table. There are other patient transfer devices but they are not compatible with MRI tables. For a more comprehensive review of the prior art in patient transfer and handling systems, see Exhibit 1 attached, the contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference.